April 6th

Tomorrow is another big day for Will. They're going to do another bronchial scope on him to check for floppy airways or narrowing of the trachea. If they don't see either of those things, we can be pretty sure that his airways will stay open when he's extubated. Then they'll either go ahead and extubate him and put him on CPAP, or they'll send him back to St. Mary's and let them extubate him in a few days. Either way, this is the last big hurdle he has to clear to be on his way back to Athens!!! So keep those fingers and toes crossed! I never thought I would think CPAP is a good thing (those of you who have been with us for this whole crazy ride may remember how much I hated the CPAP when Hays was on it), but it beats the heck out of a tube stuck down his throat! Will's been doing well today. They're giving him morphine every four hours instead of two and he's more awake and moving around more. He seems to be pretty comfortable. They've also been able to lower his vent settings throughout the day, so that's a good thing. We're just anxious to hear what they have to say tomorrow.
Hays is great. I finally got to see him in his big boy bed. He looks so cute. I was thinking tonight that it was only a few weeks ago that I couldn't do anything but peek at him in his isolette and wait for the nurse to come in and hand him to me. Now I just go in, disconnect him from the monitors, pick him up, bathe him, give him a bottle, put him back to bed, regular mommy stuff- it's awesome!!! I can't wait until I get to do it for both of them.
I noticed today at Publix that the March of Dimes is collecting money and their big annual walk for preemies is coming up. I've always thought this was a worthy cause, but being the mom of preemies has shown me exactly how worthy. Not that I'm trying to solicit on the blog, or tell you what to do with your charity money- okay, I guess I kind of am- but if you have a buck or two to spare, give to the March of Dimes. Maybe we can save another family from having to go through this. And I will now step down off my soapbox. Thanks guys!!!